Environmental Justice and Climate Action Are Bound Together

As we approach the upcoming Juneteenth holiday, today’s episode is about environmental justice. You’ve probably heard that term before, but in short, it refers to the notion that underserved and historically underrepresented communities with higher populations of black, indigenous, and other peoples of color, have born a disproportionate share of the impacts from climate change and environmental degradation. And over the last few decades there’s been a growing movement to address that disparity head on, by raising awareness, engaging companies and other actors that contribute to localized environmental harm, and by changing federal, state and local policies to ensure better outcomes. Joining the show to talk more about this is Carlos Claussell Velez, WWF’s manager for climate, DEI, and environmental justice. Carlos explains how his upbringing in Puerto Rico led to a passion for environmental justice (1:41), what climate and environmental justice really means for communities on the front lines of these issues (5:00), and what steps the US government has taken in recent years to embed the notion of justice for communities in climate action plans (12:45). 

LINKS:

Carlos Claussell Velez bio

BLOG: Unleashing Change: Federal Climate Investments Driving Community Benefits

Renewable Thermal Collaborative

America Is All In